Microaggressions: Let’s Build Bridges

There’s a new word to define the actions of something that has been occurring for centuries, but its meaning is relatable now more than ever in such a divided world. The word has been around for 45 years, but is recently getting the credit it deserves as we become a more diverse culture.

MICROAGGRESSION was coined in 1970 by Psychiatrist Chester M. Pierce.

Dictionary.com describes its meaning as:

A subtle but offensive comment or action directed at a minority or other nondominant group that is often unintentional or unconsciously reinforces a stereotype: microaggressions such as “I don’t see you as black.”

The act of discriminating against a nondominant group by means of such comments or actions.

It can be the simplest innocent question or comment, and most of us may not even realize we are doing it. Check out this article on Buzzfeed about some real people and the comments they have heard regularly: 21 Racial Microaggressions You Hear On A Daily Basis

CTU’s next anthology, MicroAGGRESSION: Then and Now, is challenging writers to submit a few pieces on the topic, accepting either: poetry, essay, journal entry, short story or thought pieces. You don’t have to be a victim of microaggression to write on this subject; write what you have observed from the people that you deal with on a daily basis. This is a chance to connect the past to the present; to compare the human disconnection.

Some may feel that the future looks grim because of the division among our great nation, so this is also an opportunity to address microaggression in a positive light. Use your experiences and observations to build bridges. Because of my ethnicity, people often express themselves using microaggressions unknowingly. I don’t ever take it to heart because they are usually uneducated with my place of birth and the many cultures I grew up with, so my choice is to fill them with as much knowledge as I can.

For this anthology, let’s us enlighten and bring hope. Let us use it to teach lessons to those who don’t know any better. Let us use it to rise higher and not keep us in an oppressive state. At the end of the day, we are all HUMAN, so let us use this anthology to reach out to a broken humanity.

Written by: Donna J. Sanders

Donna is a freelance writer and blogger in West Palm Beach, FL. She is the author of Ataraxia, Cardboard Signs, Devour Me and Charcoal Kisses.